They were one of the most famous bands in the GDR and even after reuniting they managed to gain a lot of fans in the West: City. The rock group has sold 15 million records and produced hits such as “Wand an Wand”. Fans of the Eastern rockers must be strong now because: Fritz Puppel, one of the band's founders, has died.

Puppel died on February 10

Puppel died suddenly on February 10 at the age of 79, City singer Toni Krahl told the German Press Agency on Thursday. The cause of death is not yet known.

Puppel founded the band in East Berlin in 1972 with drummer Klaus Selmke. City had many fans not only in the GDR, but also in non-socialist countries – for example through the hit “Am Fenster”. A few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berliners' success continued. In the history of the band, there have been different line-ups, but Puppel has always been present. Five decades. At the end of 2022, City said goodbye to the stage.

The city experienced many ups and downs

Puppel carried the band through ups and downs for 50 years, until the farewell concert on December 30, 2022, Krahl (74) said. And: “He always put his personality, free of musical pretensions, on the back burner and was inspired by the idea of ​​creating City as a band. The cool-headed Fritz was a constantly inspiring driving force for the challenges ahead and was appreciated for his loyalty throughout the music scene.

On February 3, 1972, the City Band played in a Berlin-Köpenick club in front of about 200 listeners. In the repertoire: songs by Santana, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. City musicians later created their own songs – in German. Whether “Am Fenste”, “King of Prenzlauer Berg”, “Wand an Wand” or “Glastraum”: many texts were at the limit of what was allowed in the GDR. And many songs became hits.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, their career took a hit, but after a few years, fans returned in their thousands, the band filled big halls again, and a new album was released almost every year. After the death of drummer Klaus Selmke in 2020, the remaining four band members decided to end City at the end of 2022. “We want to try when it's best to stop. And not waste the whole thing,” said Puppel at the time. In addition to Puppel and Krahl, the last band included violinist Joro Gogow and keyboard player Manfred Hennig.

This article “Founder of legendary Eastern band 'City': Fritz Puppel dies suddenly” was originally from BUNTE.de.